Floods can be dramatic. A storm surge from a hurricane pushed by raging winds into a coastal area can wreak havoc throughout an entire community. But floods can also start small. A large snowfall followed by a rapid thaw that begins as a trickle at the top of a mountain can become a torrent that overflows riverbanks by the time it reaches the towns at lower, warmer elevations.

How much would you have to pay if out of pocket if your home was damaged or destroyed by a flood?

A fair number of people assume that their homeowners insurance policy covers flooding. This is not true. And even those who know that flooding is exempted from homeowners coverage may not purchase flood insurance if they are not in an area that seems likely to flood. This is a mistake, especially if you own a high-value home, which would be much more costly to replace if you had to pay replacement costs yourself.

Household flooding can and has happened everywhere. An obvious likely location is a home situated next to a river. A less obvious spot might be a home in the middle of a desert, where rainfall of just one to two inches in an hour can create flash flooding—rivulets that move quickly atop earth that is too dry for the water to soak in, water that will keep moving until it finds a convenient place to settle—like a basement. (Click here to see a map showing counties in the United States that have been affected by flooding between 1996-2013.)

In most municipalities, homeowners have access to the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program. But the dollar limits for that coverage are $250,000 for building coverage and $100,000 in personal property coverage.

For a typical Kelly Klee client, those limits aren’t near high enough. Our insurance experts can advise you on the right flood insurance coverage levels for your situation and get competitive quotes from our high-end insurers to make sure that you have the coverage you need.

‍What does flood insurance cover?Here are some of the features that you can purchase through Kelly Klee:

• Full Replacement Cost (including for secondary homes)
• Higher Limits (up to $15 million or more for high-value homes)
• Additional Coverage for Basements (where floods are likely to cause more damage)
• Special Coverage for Precious Possessions (such as art, collectibles and jewelry)
• Additional Living Expenses (should your home be uninhabitable for a period of time)
• Property Removal (to move belongings off site if a flood threatens)
• Other Structures Coverage (for structures like barns, pool houses and detached garages)

To get more information about the benefits of flood insurance and find out what else it covers, please contact Kelly Klee at 844.885.1600 or click here.

‍Note that flood insurance does not include sewer backups, drain backups or sump pump overflows, unless those occurrences are caused by flooding. Those events are typically covered under homeowners insurance.

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